Gift Wrapped for Christmas: A Contemporary Romance by Mona Ingram

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she doesn’t like her very much, if that helps.”
    “Not really, but whoever she is, she
doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Girls even younger than ten are
perfectly capable of running a sewing machine with a little instruction.”
    “Will you show her if I explain
that to Chase? I know Annie would be thrilled.”
    Lily didn’t have to think long.
“I’d like that. She’s an adorable kid.” She brightened. “See? You already know
what you’re going to buy for your first customer!”
    * * *
    “Uncle Chase, it’s your move!”
Annie frowned impatiently.
    He focused at the board, trying
to give it his full attention. He’d been having trouble since just before lunch
when, with one look, he’d fallen hard for the most intriguing woman he’d ever
seen.  In his experience, most petite women played up the fact that they were a
few inches shorter than normal. But not Lily. From the first glance, he’d been
aware of her fierceness, her vitality. He didn’t know how he knew these things,
but he had no doubt that she could stand up for herself in any situation and he
liked that about her.
    Of course it didn’t hurt that she
was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He made a move, but his mind
wasn’t on the game.
    He’d dated a lot of attractive
women, but this one was different. He didn’t know her, and yet something told
him that she was ambivalent about her beauty. As a business woman, she’d know
that her looks would win her certain advantages, and yet she warred with
herself about using her most striking asset. How he’d love to get to know her
better.
    His friends would laugh at him if
he told them how quickly he’d fallen for her. Just last week after a hard-fought
battle on the handball court, he’d sat in the steam room with his partner,
listening to Greg’s contention that you had to live with a woman for at least a
year before you really got to know her. That wouldn’t be necessary with Lily;
he’d known that at first sight. And yet in spite of the undeniable attraction
that flared between them, she’d run away.
    “Uncle Chase, I think we should
stop this game. You’re not paying attention.”
    Chase looked down at the board.
He had no idea what his next move should be, either here or with the woman who
occupied his every thought. “You’re right, Annie. I’m sorry, I’ve had a long
day.”
    Annie sorted out the pieces,
separating them by colour. Chase had learned not to be impatient with her when
she insisted in keeping the pieces in separate plastic bags. It was part of
their routine, and he watched her with affection.
    “So how was your day today?” he
asked. They usually discussed this over dinner, but he’d come home later than
normal, and she’d already eaten.
    “It was wonderful.” She wrinkled
her nose. “Except for the part about having to leave school. But that meant I
met Maddie, so that was good.” She ran her finger along the self-sealing lunch
bags and put everything away in the checkers box. “I liked Lily, too. Know what
she said when I told her the kids tease me about my hair?”
    Chase leaned forward eagerly.
“What?”
    “She said they’re just jealous.
Did you know she holds her hair up with toothpicks?”
    Chase checked to see if she was
teasing, but she appeared serious. “Do you mean chopsticks?”
    Annie laughed. “Yes, chopsticks.
Silly me.” She sobered. “She used to get teased about her hair at school just
like me. They told her she should put it in a pigtail, and called her a Chink.”
    “I thought she had beautiful
hair.”
    Annie gave him an odd look. “Me,
too. I can hardly wait to see her studio. Maybe the next time the teachers take
a professional day, I can ask Maddie to take me.”
    “Or I could take you.” Chase
couldn’t believe the words had come out of his mouth.
    “Would you?” Annie beamed.
    “Sure, why not? Now you’d better
run up and get into your jammies. I’ll be up in a while to tuck you